The present invention relates to security systems, and, more particularly, relates to systems for providing security to individuals, companies, organizations, the United States Government, and to other government bodiesxe2x80x94from states to municipalities or the likexe2x80x94wherein clandestine audiovisual surveillance may be conducted in realtime and be duly uplinked and recorded for contemporaneous analysis and immediate remedial action, if necessary.
It is well known in the art that security is a primary consideration prerequisite for the peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of freedom and the survival of individuals and organized bodies alike. For example, to promote security for the citizenry at large in most communities throughout the United States, it is imperative to keep doors and windows locked at home, to keep automobiles locked and secured by alarms, and, generally, to be aware of one""s surroundings while walking on streets, driving in automobiles or the like, and shopping in malls or in stores. As another example, to promote security for commercial establishments, public places such as libraries and the like, and government entities, it is imperative to provide full-time guards, limited access via X-ray machines or biometrics screening devices, etc.
There have been many threats to and assaults upon United States property and personnel throughout the world made by radical and terrorist organizations. Personnel have been victimized by criminals and the mentally-unstable. Young children, teenage girls, and women have proven to be especially vulnerable to such exploitation. Assaults have been perpetrated against several United States Embassies on foreign soil and to United States ships on international waters. Unfortunately, to the horror of United States citizens and, indeed, to concerned peoples throughout the world, terrorist attacks have recently been made on United States soil to privately-owned skyscrapers in New York City and to the Pentagon in Washington, in the District of Columbia. Enormous loss of human life and property occurred, and a concomitant trauma to the extant quality of life that had been the norm in a free country such as the United States.
The inadequacy of existing systems for protecting persons and property on a daily, routine basis to such horrific threats and incidences of terror has become clear. Indeed, much time and effort is being applied by government and private entities, and by individuals to augment and enhance the integrity and efficacy of security procedures. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, what is needed is a methodology that provides a real-time window into a diversity of activitiesxe2x80x94both legitimate and illegitimate, legal and illegalxe2x80x94at appropriate times and places whereby prompt measures may be timely taken to prevent or at least minimize personal injury and property damage. Unfortunately, notwithstanding the use of sophisticated surveillance technology and the expertise and valiant efforts of government entities such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an early-warning, real-time system or methodology to effectively foil assaults by terrorists or the like has heretofore been unknown.
Accordingly, these limitations and disadvantages of the prior art are overcome with the present invention, and improved means and techniques are provided which enable future, incipient or current attacks by criminals, the mentally unstable, and terrorists to be prevented or promptly mitigated.
In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for tracking the activities and movements of young children and teenagers to promote their personal safety and well being. In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for monitoring all personnel activities and incursions related to edifices including commercial, public, and government buildings. In yet another aspect, this system provides a means and methodology for safeguarding any and all conduct effectuated on public mobile vehicles such as commercial airplanes, trains, buses, boats, or the like. Thus, an embodiment of the present invention designed for use on airplanes would continuously monitor, record, and analyze in real-time not only the activities of pilots in the cockpit, but also would the activities of flight attendants and passengers throughout the airplane. Such an embodiment would also preferably continuously monitor, record, and analyze in real-time the activities of all maintenance and other service personnel. Other embodiments of the present invention could be applied to common situations such as identification of criminals and suspects in public places, remotely and locally monitoring homes and automobiles, and monitoring roadside assistance. It will become evident that the present invention also contemplates embodiments suitable for use in a wide range of activities and events that are common in contemporary times; these systems run the gamut from people making reservations for air, land and sea travel to emergency responses effectuated by specially-trained professionals.
Under the present invention, such activities and events are continuously captured and uplinked in real-time along with received or generated control signals to a plurality of control facilities for recording, monitoring, and contemporaneous analysis. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, audiovisual uplinking may be achieved via satellite transmission, general packet radio service (xe2x80x9cGPRSxe2x80x9d), cellular telephone communications, microwave communications, land-line telephonic communications, Internet-based or intranet or extranet-based telecommunications, wireless communications, or any other means for expeditiously sending audiovisual signals from a local site to a remote site essentially in real-time. Thus, clearly incorporated into the concepts taught by the present invention are such telecommunications developments as the Bluetooth interface which, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, enables a no-boundaries environment for remote wireless communications. Indeed, it an objective of the present invention to provide the ultimate security solution to individuals, the federal and state governmentxe2x80x94and to towns, municipalities and villages subsumed thereintoxe2x80x94as well as to corporations and the like.
An embodiment of the present invention applicable to children and teenagers is suited to be inconspicuously worn as a normal bracelet, necklace, or the like. It is contemplated that contained in such bracelet will be a miniature video camera or the like that, when activated by a child or teenager, or otherwise activated remotely by a parent or other supervisory adult, will commence recording the immediate environment and activities occurring thereat. Any perturbation to or deviation from the normal behavior associated with such environment, e.g., school yard, playground, library, mall, etc., will be observed in real-time and contemporaneously be duly captured on remote hard disk and/or videotape or the like so that immediate preventative or remedial countermeasures may be effectuated as appropriate.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is applicable to an automobile and other mobile vehicle, and comprises a plurality of video cameras disposed at strategic locations in or on the automobile so that events may be documented in real-time for analysis at a plurality of remote control sites. It is contemplated that all of such plurality of cameras will be clandestinely disposed in and about a mobile vehicle or that a token number thereof will be conspicuously disposed to serve a twofold purpose. First, upon noticing the plurality of conspicuously-disposed cameras, an intruder or an incipient intruder may be dissuaded from actually intruding upon the vehicle. Second, if an intruder is not and, indeed, will not be dissuaded from intruding, then the plurality of conspicuous cameras are apt to be manually disabled while the plurality of clandestine cameras provide a real-time video stream that captures the intruder""s activities. It will be understood that the plurality of digital cameras and the likexe2x80x94both conspicuous and clandestinexe2x80x94may be either manually activated by the authorized vehicle operator, automatically activated by the authorized operator initiating a trigger event, or automatically be in an xe2x80x9calways-onxe2x80x9d condition.
The preferred embodiment configured for use in an airplane comprises a plurality of hidden video cameras disposed at strategic locations in the cockpit and passenger compartment and all other designated areas. It will be obvious that the system of the present invention teaches that all activities that occur on a commercial aircraft or the like should preferably be monitored for security purposes. Accordingly, the system not only monitors and records the activities that occur within the cockpit, but also monitors and records the activities and events that occur within the passenger compartment and other common areas on the airplane. It will also be appreciated that such monitoring is not limited to times when vehicles, e.g., rental automobiles, buses, trains, and airplanes, are in service, but also includes times when the vehicles are being maintained and otherwise serviced.
Thus, the present invention provides a system that inherently affords an early warning of any and all activities that suggest that an anomalous situation may arise or, indeed, that show that an anomalous situation has arisenxe2x80x94in real-time. For example, if there were intruders present in the cockpit, the system would immediately xe2x80x9creportxe2x80x9d this occurrence in real-time. If there were a commotion occurring in the passenger compartment, the system would provide an early warning thereof to not only the crew in the cockpit, but also to personnel at the control center facilities. If there were any peculiar activities occurring during normal servicing of the airplane between flights or during maintenance operations, the system taught by the present invention would have knowledge thereof.
If a child in a playground is engaging in conversation with a stranger or even an unfamiliar playmate, the early warning aspect of the present invention would be triggered. Similarly, if a woman approaching her automobile in a parking garage felt threatened by strange footsteps or other sounds, she could manually trigger the system to uplink a call for immediate assistance. Obviously, the present invention contemplates that trained personnel are observing and analyzing the stream of audio video signals continuously being down linked to control center facilities, for taking immediate and appropriate action to either prevent or mitigate personal injury and property damage.
These and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, wherein reference is made to the figures in the accompanying drawings in which like numerals refer to like components.